True Believers projects the reader into a world of characters stunning in their variety. Here are sad-hearted priests, old friends, young lovers, rockers and rebels, husbands and runaway wives, punks and poets. They all are clinging desperately to some kind of faith in a mutable and dangerous world.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this collection of well-written short stories, Irish writer O'Connor ( Cowboys and Indians ) links together a series of tales concerning such domestic crises as abortion, infidelity and separation. The most exciting is "The Long Way Home," a title with a Celtic ring but a plot reminiscent of a Rod Serling scenario, in which a man leaves his wife one night and picks up a very strange hitchiker. Most of the protagonists are Irish men or women considering big changes in their lives. Some look to England for it, as in "Last of the Mohicans" and "Mothers Were All the Same," and almost all are detached from the familiar landscape of Irish fiction. (For once, pubs are left out of the picture, although there is considerable drinking.) An exception is "The Hills Are Alive," which examines the strange double life of IRA volunteer Danny Sullivan. O'Connor's style is terse and graphic, attuned to the voices of his young characters. At times, as in the title story, "True Believers," it proves a powerful literary tool; more often it shows off a tiresome alienation that works well when a story's plot is strong enough to justify it, but sags when the story is no more thna a portrait of several sad characters, as in "The Bedouin Feast."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Joseph O'Connor was born in Dublin. He has written thirteen books, including five previous novels: Cowboys and Indians, Desperadoes, The Salesman, Inishowen and most recently Star of the Sea, which became an international bestseller, winning the Irish Post Award for Literature, an American Library Association Award, France's Prix Millepages and the Prix Madeleine Zepter for European Novel of the Year. His work has been published in twenty-nine languages.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An honest entertaining journey through contemporary Ireland,
By terentio@compassusa.net (Seattle, Washington - USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: True Believers Pb (Paperback)
This diverse collection of stories brings together a myriad of characters, ideas, and issues, which in essence bring alive contemporary Ireland despite wide spread stereotypes of this beautiful culture. The stories that stand out include: "Mothers are All the Same," a tale of a travellers uncertain future; "Volunteers," looks at the troubles through the eyes of a romantic relationship between a Brtitish soldier and an IRA volunteer, and finally "True Believers," a story that presents striking metaphors concerning Ireland's relationship with the Roman Catholic church. As an American living in Ireland at the time I read this book, "True Believers" was a part of my cultural education. O'Connor is an international and universal voice!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thirteen Tales of Ireland,
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: True Believers Pb (Paperback)
I came to this collection of thirteen short stories after devouring O'Connor's brilliant novel of revenge, The Salesman. Three of the stories here ("Last of the Mohicans", "Mothers Are All the Same", and" Ailsa") will ring familiar to those who read his first novel, Cowboys and Indians (a coming of age tale with a bit less depth, but still worth a read). In general, the stories range from 10 to 25 pages and as a whole, provide a brief glimpses of everyday modern Irish people- the one exception being "Glass Houses," a story about a taxi driver which appears to be set in America. A prevalent theme running throughout is the forming and/or aftermath of relationships, both marital and extramarital, straight and gay. And the final two stories ("The Greatest of These is Love" and "True Believers") effectively combine themes of spiritual faith and loss. My favorite, however, is "The Long Way Home," which stands out as a creepy, surreal, and ultimately poignant tale of a man leaving his wife, who then picks up a hitchhiker who may or may not be dangerous.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Clarification for NLP readers,
By
This review is from: True Believers (Hardcover)
This Joseph O'Connor is an Irish novelist, NOT the NLP trainer and author of the same name.
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